The Powerful Statement the Women of 'Black Panther' Are Making on the Red Carpet

The hype around Black Panther is growing by the day. Not only is the movie a first for its groundbreaking cast of black superheroes, but over the last few weeks of global premieres, the film's lead women have walked red carpets the world over in beauty looks that parallel the movie's homage to black heritage. The tour is unprecedented, and with each of the actresses' looks better than the last, there are two things to note. One, that it's impossible to pick a standout—there's just no way. And two, that each look represents a world of history and a swirl of influences that reaches far beyond the eye.

Especially when it comes to the hairstyles of the starring women—Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, and Angela Bassett—the celebration of black beauty and its history has been revolutionary. Given the Marvel movie's huge platform, that means worldwide recognition, solidarity, and support of the greatness that the actresses and their hairstylists have created. In a world where natural hair sightings are still few and far between on most red carpets, the abundance of beautiful styles is a welcome change of pace. With those factors in mind, we went to celebrity hairstylists Vernon François and Vernon Scott, who style Nyong'o and Gurira, respectively, for the details on the looks they've created, and the cultural significance that those hairstyles represent.

François says that, as he headed into the tour, his inspiration was pure power. "We wanted to create looks that are strong and sexy and all about female empowerment," he says. For Nyong'o, he says that translated to height: Hairstyles like her Fulani-inspired braid and high pony elongate her body, François says, which creates a "powerful, elegantly statuesque feel."

That same regal sense has underscored Gurira's looks throughout the tour, which is no accident. Instead of going high (not an option with Gurira's close-shorn hair), Scott pulled from the movie's royal iconography for the designs he carved into her crop. Specifically, he borrowed directly from the movie's royal Wakanda throne, and channeled the movie's themes onto the carpet as well. Black Panther's plot centers around the power in Wakanda's heritage, brought into the modern mainstream with its superhero component. In real life, Scott says, he hopes that the tour has a similar impact. Demonstrating night after night the limitless forms that black beauty can take, he hopes to set a precedent of pride for future generations. "It's just human nature," Scott says. "You need to see someone do it first to be comfortable with it."

And with a cast that showcases vastly different looks, the opportunity to make history on a global scale was there for the taking. “There’s a responsibility to create styles that are a representation of nonconformity and breaking the mold," Scott says. "They're saying, ‘This is who I am.’” François seconds that he and Nyong'o are making the most of Black Panther's platform. "It’s a dream come true to be able to show afro-textured hair in its true glory and strength. It’s so important to showcase that kinky hair can be sexy."

Lupita Nyong'o at the Black Panther South Korea Premiere

With the richness of Nyong'o's skin, her vibrant red lipstick, and the thin gold threads, François names this his favorite of the tour looks. "While delicate, the gold string is strong and royal, fun and eye-catching," he says. "Sometimes you just get a little glimpse, and other times you see it all." Nyong'o's makeup artist, Nick Barose, says that this red lipstick was actually the same one Nyong'o wore earlier that day, Lancôme's L’absolu Rouge in Isabella. To amp up the intensity, for the premiere he applied it straight from the tube, added a second coat, and then traced on lip liner.

Danai Gurira at a Black Panther red carpet in London

Gurira's intricate design is a copy of the head tattoo she wears in the film, just slightly softened to give it a feminine edge. "Even for a women to have a shaved head is defying modern beauty ideals," says Scott, so the pair subverted that by going all in. With the strong but fluid design he created, they found cohesion between femininity and the power of her shaved cut.

Angela Bassett at the Hollywood Premiere of Black Panther

Lupita Nyong'o at the European Premiere of Black Panther

Lupita's ponytail is everything we want when we're going for frizzy-chic, but she actually made it happen. The royal height effect that François mentioned is in full play here, and with the symmetry of the silver thread, Nyong'o and François created a line your eye can't pull away from.

Letitia Wright at the Hollywood Premiere of Black Panther

Wright once told Glamour that her experience with makeup has been a journey, but the one beauty rule she lives by is not suffering looks that feel inauthentic. "Makeup is cool," she told us. "I mean, you can turn up and feel really good and treat yourself, but it shouldn’t be something you hang on to to validate your beauty or something you have to do to make you feel beautiful."

Lupita Nyong'o at the Hollywood Premiere of Black Panther

Nothing Nyong'o ever does is boring, buns included. According to Nyong'o, the inspiration for this hairstyle came from the Fulani hairstyles captured by Nigerian photographer J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere. Nyong'o posted a few of his photos to Instagram to give context for her look, giving a celebrity master class on the difference between inspiration and appropriation.

Danai Gurira at the Hollywood Premiere of Black Panther

This night was all about the drama, and according to Scott, so was the action behind the scenes. He held off carving her design in for this premiere, since the overall aesthetic leaned royal and elegant. That saw Scott heading to an arts and crafts store, where he formed her circlet out of $5 pink metal tubing. In tandem with Gurira's metallic, darted silver liner, her look was wholly unique.

Letitia Wright at the European Premiere of Black Panther

Wright kept it simple with an understated, sideswept hairstyle, which let her glowing skin and rosy lips take the lead. Wright says that for most of her life, understated makeup has been the default, as she didn’t want to let it become integral to her sense of self. "When I was a kid, people bullied me about my weight and being skinny," Wright says. "Throughout my teenage years, I had to just depend on the fact that look, this is who God created me to be, so I’m going to depend on what’s already there. If I want to put makeup on then cool, I’ll do that. But it’s not going to be my crutch."

Lupita Nyong'o at the "Welcome to Wakanda" New York Fashion Week Presentation

From a distance, Nyong'o's style reads as a flower crown. Look closer, and things get even cooler: Nyong'o's braids here are a work of art. Twisted into a sculpture atop her head for the "Welcome to Wakanda" New York Fashion Week presentation, it's the only thing that could equal her fiery red dress.

Danai Gurira at a New York screening of Black Panther

Gurira's hair design took about an hour to create, Scott says—and since there's no going back from each line cut, the pressure was on. He says that it was worth it, though: "It's a royal and powerful design, which dates back to the time of our ancestors and inscribings. The entire movie has this ancestral depth and meaning, translated into a modern time." Their hope isn't so much that people walk away from the movie wanting to get an exact replica, he says, but to demonstrate that the power is there however you choose to demonstrate it. "The goal is not so much that you want people to follow, but more to create a level of respect for individualism and art. It's an assertion of whatever you believe, not within the context of acceptance or fame, but recognition. This is who you are."